Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Strategies & Market Trends : Commodities - The Coming Bull Market -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: H James Morris who wrote (556)	7/20/2001 3:36:20 PM
From: craig crawford	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1643

nice article, thanks. please post more. i'm going to purchase some aci here in the 17's, i've been waiting for a nice opportunity like today to start dipping my feet in the sector. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Friday July 20, 3:00 pm Eastern Time Arch Coal earnings fall short of expectations biz.yahoo.com NEW YORK, July 20 (Reuters) - Arch Coal Inc. (NYSE:ACI - news), the nation's No. 2 coal company, on Friday reported second-quarter earnings that fell short of Wall Street forecasts due to higher operating costs at two major mines. St. Louis-based Arch reported net income of $800,000, or 2 cents per share, compared with a net loss of $2.1 million, or 6 cents per share, in the same quarter a year ago. Analysts polled by market research firm Thomson Financial/First Call had expected Arch to earn 5 to 18 cents a share, with a mean estimate of 13 cents. Arch shares were down $4.40, or more than 19 percent, at $18 in afternoon trade on the New York Stock Exchange. The company reported problems at its West Elk mine in Colorado and its Samples mine in southern West Virginia. West Elk production was reduced by 60 percent during the second quarter due to high methane levels. Arch President Steven Leer said the mine lost about $9 million in the quarter. The Samples mine had a sandstone intrusion that thinned the main coal seam the company was mining. Still, Arch should benefit from higher coal prices. Prices on the spot market, where about 20 percent of the fuel is sold, are double what they were last year at this time. Coal prices entered stronger territory when natural gas, coal's main competition, hit record highs last winter. Coal companies generally sell their coal under long-term contracts whose expirations are staggered over several years. As coal prices have risen and older contracts have expired, the outlook for earnings has improved. In the first six months of the year, Arch secured better pricing on about 6 million tons of central Appalachian coal and 17 million tons of Powder River Basin coal. Arch produces 110 million tons of coal per year -- slightly more than 10 percent of total U.S. annual production -- from 28 mines in the western United States and central Appalachia. Shares of Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU - news), the No. 1 U.S. coal company, were down more than 8 percent to $23.30 in afternoon NYSE trade. Peabody reported slightly-better-than-expected earnings on Thursday.

To: H James Morris who wrote (556)	7/22/2001 10:47:11 PM
From: craig crawford	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1643

JULY 23, 2001 Hold the Bacon! Market forces drive its price to record highs interactive.wsj.com By Daniel Rosenberg In August, there's nothing more tasty to many Americans than a bacon sandwich on toast with a little lettuce and tomato. But this year, BLT aficionados will have to pay the highest prices ever for their favorite sandwich, thanks in part to record-low stocks of pork bellies, from which bacon is made. Indeed, belly stocks are so thin there's talk that supplies could run out sometime this summer. That probably won't happen, because high prices tend to dampen demand, but bacon has become increasingly inelastic the past few years. .................................................................................................................................. Crude oil at the New York Mercantile Exchange ended on an upnote Friday after falling to 14-month lows earlier in the week. August futures, which expired Friday, climbed 89 cents to finish at $25.59 a barrel, while September futures, the new front-month contract, rose $1.16, to $25.94 a barrel. Market participants are concerned that OPEC may soon counter falling prices by cutting output by 750,000-to-1-million barrels a day. Some believe OPEC could make its decision in a conference call. Technical analysts now believe nearby crude could test resistance at $26.88 early next week.